How does youth scouting and player development work? (1)

Youth intake isn't something you actively scout for day to day. It's tied directly to your Youth Academy facility level and runs automatically once per season. About a real day before a new season starts, the game generates a preview batch of incoming youth prospects for every club, sized and rated according to your current Youth Academy level. At Youth Academy level 0, you get no intake at all, so it's worth building at least one level just to start receiving prospects. From level 1 you get 2 prospects per season aged 18-19, rated 50-56 OVR. As you invest further, both the quantity, age, and quality improve: level 6 jumps to 3 prospects and drops the minimum age to 16, and by level 10 (the max) you're getting 3 prospects as young as 15-17 rated 70-80 OVR: genuinely first-team-ready talent straight out of your academy. When the new season actually begins, those previewed prospects are automatically promoted into real, active squad players on your roster. No separate 'sign this prospect' action needed, they simply join your first team. This is also timed alongside player retirements, so your youth intake is effectively replacing the players who retire at the same rollover point, keeping squad size and generational turnover balanced season to season. Investing early in your Youth Academy pays off over multiple seasons rather than immediately, since the jump in prospect quality is gradual level by level. It's worth planning as a long-term facility priority alongside Training Complex.